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Scotland asks UK to protect Scotch from cheap whisky

Read the article to find out the differences between American and Scottish whisky.
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Scotland’s Economy Secretary asked the UK government to create laws that would officially protect the Scottish whisky industry from cheaper, lower-quality alcohol produced outside of Scotland.

The whisky industry in Scotland is a huge business. Scotch whisky is one of the top five manufactured exports of the entire UK. The income from exports of whisky makes up around 25% of the total food and drink exports income for the UK, and is worth around £4 billion (about ¥577 billion). The industry also provides jobs for around 20,000 Scots and another 15,000 people in the rest of the UK. Scotland’s Economy Secretary Keith Brown says that Scotch whisky is not only a business, but also “a key part of Scottish culture and identity”.

The Scotch whisky industry is one of the many industries being affected by Brexit. So far, the definition of what can and what cannot be called whisky was defined by the European Union. However, the Scots now worry that after the UK leaves the EU whisky will lose its legal protection. The worry is that Scotch whisky will have to compete with the cheaper, American version.

There are several differences between Scotch whisky and American whiskey. One of the differences is in the name – it’s called “whisky” in Scotland and “whiskey” in the US. A more important difference is how long the alcohol has to age before it can be called a whisky. In the EU, the alcohol has to age at least three years before it can be called a whisky. On the other hand, in the US the minimum aging time varies by type of whiskey, but it is shorter than in Scotland. In some cases, like bourbon or corn whiskey, there is no minimum aging time. That makes American whiskey much cheaper to produce, but also lowers the quality of the drink.

In the past, the US government tried unsuccessfully to change the European Union’s aging rules for whisky. A representative of the UK government said that “[the UK government] will support the industry so that it continues to thrive and prosper post-Brexit”. However, no concrete promises have yet been made.

Scotland’s Economy Secretary asked the UK government to help the Scottish whisky industry. He wants new laws to protect Scottish whisky from cheaper, lower-quality alcohol made outside of Scotland.

The whisky industry in Scotland is a very big business. Scotch whisky is one of the top five manufactured exports of the UK. The UK sells around £4 billion (about ¥577 billion) of exported whisky. That’s around 25% of UK’s exported food and drink sales. Around 20,000 Scots have jobs in the whisky business. Around 15,000 people in other areas of the UK have jobs in the whisky business, too. Scotland’s Economy Secretary Keith Brown says that Scotch whisky is more than a business. He says it’s an important part of Scottish culture.

The Scotch whisky industry is being affected by Brexit. The European Union has rules about what can be called whisky. Scots worry that Scotch whisky won’t be protected after the UK leaves the EU. They worry that Scotch whisky will have to compete with the cheaper American drink.

There are several differences between Scotch whisky and American whiskey. One of the differences is in the name – it’s called “whisky” in Scotland and “whiskey” in the US. Another difference is how long the whisky has to age. In the EU, a whisky has to age at least three years. In the US the aging time is shorter than in Scotland. For some types of whiskey there is no minimum aging time. That makes American whiskey much cheaper to make, but also lowers the quality of the drink.

In the past, the US government tried to change the European Union’s aging rules for whisky. However, it was unsuccessful. A member of the UK government said that the UK government will try to help the whisky business grow even after Brexit. However, he did not say how the government plans to help.